Failure is a common denominator for everyone, so why does our loving Father allow us to fail over and over? How does he continue to use us in the midst of our botched work? Pastor Tim Dilena discusses the answers in this week's sermon about how the Bible handles failure.
Many of us have been wounded. The Bible has promised us freedom, but often it feels like we’re still held back by scars. Pastor Gary Wilkerson talks about how God uses truth to set us free from the damage in our past, but how God also allows the snake to be in our garden. The automatic question is “Why? Why would God allow there to be a snake in our lives that tempts or wounds us?” There are four major “snakes” in our lives:
1. Fear or anxiety
2. Rejection
3. Isolation
4. Shame or self-loathing
The Bible’s most common command is “Fear not” even in the face of great challenges. God wants to show us the strength his Holy Spirit has within us to make us more than conquerors.
God’s people are meant to be a light and blessing to the world. Even the darkest, most entrenched parts of society can be overcome by faith as small as mustard seed. All God needed to overturn pervasive culture in the book of Acts was 120 common, ordinary people who were willing to let their hearts be overcome by the Holy Spirit. In this passionate exhortation, Pastor Carter reminds Christians that we are called to live for the benefit of others.
Jesus knew exactly what people needed not only because he was God but because he truly listened to people's pain. As believers, we are called to mimic Jesus' life, and part of this is learning to ask questions and really listen to people's answers and pray for them. Pastor Tim Dilena talks this week about scripture where Jesus names himself the Great Physician.
When we're going through hardship, it becomes very easy to believe that we've lost God's favor or that he's punishing us. Gary Wilkerson talks about how God gives us his favor in the midst of our struggles, and he identifies a couple areas where we can consistently see God's blessings.
If we are hungry for God's presence in our lives, if we faithfully pursue God, then we will find a divinely placed door before us. Pastor Carter Conlon talks about how God demonstrated this in the story of Peter and Cornelius. We need to have courage and faith and step through the door God has put in our lives into his plans, no matter how uncertain, impossible or frightening that step may seem.
How many of us feel disappointed in ourselves or like a disappointment to our friends, family or even God? Often, we say terrible things about ourselves that we would never say to another person.
Feeling as if we should have accomplished more, traveled to more places or made different choices in our past can become a terrible weight on the soul. Even if we do achieve our greatest dreams, they almost always feel hollow once they’re in our hands. We fall prey to the enemy’s lies rather than trusting what God says.
Here Gary Wilkerson talks about how we can grasp God’s promise of peace and abundant life.
As Christians, we are constantly in combat with a world that is out of touch with God and uses religion to offer wealth, status and power. Through the act of washing the disciples feet, Jesus showed a way of thinking that would change our lives forever. This way of servanthood led Jesus to the cross and is considered greatness with God. If we are willing to yield our lives and become servants like Jesus we can have true power and impact the world around us for eternity.
Words matter. Scripture says “death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21). But how we say words is just as important as what we say. Our facial expressions, tones, and even our silence speak volumes! How do we control these reactions? We have to look at our heart, as from it come our reactions to situations in our homes, work, and relationships. If we invite God to search our hearts and help us control the words of our mouths and meditations of our hearts, he will help us. We can be God-strengthened to be surrounded by chaos but not let it control our hearts and words.
Many in churches across America are setting their hearts on false hopes—seeking to bypass holy to get to happy. If we are willing to see life as God sees it, real change can happen in our lives. God takes those struggling vessels with honest hearts on a journey they will never regret. We will make mistakes along the way, but a cry of “Abba, Father” will rise from our heart as we look to God’s promises with hope for change.